Pat Quinn in 2011 Governor's State of the State speeches
On Budget & Economy:
Restrain spending by $220B by Budgeting For Results
We have taken the first steps to stabilize our budget--with a comprehensive plan to restrain spending and reform state government. The first part of this plan is budget restraint--finding new ways to reduce unnecessary state spending. Since taking
office, I have reduced our spending every year. No area is above review. Last year, we enacted a landmark pension reform law--the most far-reaching public pension reform in our nation's history.Over the next generation, we will save the people of
Illinois $220 billion. Our commitment to taxpayers is simple: we will only use tax dollars to provide necessary state services. All unnecessary state spending will be eliminated. We are looking at programs in a new way--saving taxpayer dollars while
improving the services we deliver. This new approach is called 'budgeting for results'. The spending reductions and program reforms I am talking about today are the result of our budgeting for results process.
Source: Illinois 2011 State of the State Budget Address
Feb 16, 2011
On Education:
Consolidate from 868 school districts to save $100M
Illinois currently has 868 school districts, and our fiscal reality demands consolidation. I am proposing the formation of a commission that will review the number of school districts in our state.Consolidation lowers administrative overhead, improves
efficiency and will save taxpayers $100 million. I am also proposing eliminating state funding for the salaries & offices for regional school superintendents. The $13 million annual savings will be spent in the classroom, rather than on administration.
Source: Illinois 2011 State of the State Budget Address
Feb 16, 2011
On Free Trade:
Exports support 500,000 jobs in IL; double that in 5 years
Illinois is a major player on the global stage. Our current exports support more than a half a million Illinois jobs. In 2010, our state's exports went up by nearly 20% to just under 50 billion dollars. We are 6th in the nation in exports, and first in
the Midwest. As Governor, I pledge double our exports over the next five years. To meet this goal, we will be reorganizing our foreign trade offices--working with representatives from international markets to develop new trading relationships and enhance
the ones already in place. For example: we recently hosted the president of China and his delegation of trade officials. These meetings resulted in $1.8 billion in agreements that will sell 25% of Illinois' soybean crop to China.
In 2010, exports from Illinois to China increased by nearly 30%. And more than 30 Chinese companies have already invested in Illinois, employing thousands of Illinois workers.
Source: Illinois 2011 State of the State Budget Address
Feb 16, 2011
On Health Care:
Comprehensive Medicaid reform: save taxpayers $550M
Last month, we passed comprehensive Medicaid reform, which will save us millions of dollars. But it will also improve health outcomes for
Medicaid patients--decreasing ineffective reliance on emergency rooms by providing patients with a medical home, and focusing on preventive care to keep people from getting sick in the first place.
We need to keep investing in essential, necessary services while cutting programs that don't work. This means continued support for cost-effective programs that do work, such as: homecare for those with disabilities, childcare for working families, and
community care for our seniors. We are reducing the Medicaid reimbursement rate for hospitals, nursing homes, saving taxpayers $550 million dollars this year alone.
Source: Illinois 2011 State of the State Budget Address
Feb 16, 2011
On Jobs:
Illinois Jobs Now! and Employer Training Investment Program
Our greatest asset is our human capital. Illinois' workers are smart, resourceful, and hardworking. But we can't become complacent. We must invest in our state's workforce to meet the changing needs of business, so that Illinois workers always have the
education, training and skills necessary to compete with anyone around the world. That's why I am proposing to increase support for the Employer Training Investment Program.Shortly after I became Governor, we enacted our job recovery initiative--
Illinois Jobs Now!--a $31 billion job recovery program to rebuild our roads, bridges, water systems, railroads, airports, and schools. We are in the middle of the largest road-building program in the history of Illinois. So far, we have repaired
4,800 miles of roads and 500 bridges--with a lot more to come. We are creating jobs. Capital projects to date have created 142,000 short-term and permanent jobs. Altogether we will create and retain more than 400,000 jobs over the course of the program.
Source: Illinois 2011 State of the State Budget Address
Feb 16, 2011
On Technology:
Pay backlog of $280M for mass transit
Illinois' backlog of payments to the state's transit systems is now more than $280 million. Millions of people living and working in Illinois rely on our mass transit systems, including 2 million trips per day in Northeastern Illinois alone.
Delayed payments to the Regional Transportation Authority for CTA, for Metra, and for PACE harms the ability of our people to get to work. In addition, the state has been forced to pay more for procurement contracts, simply because we do not pay on time.
Vendors are not bidding competitively--our bids are 6% to 10% higher than they should be--because those contracting with the state expect long delays in payment. This is not insignificant; we pay $700 million to 1$ billion extra per year as a result.
Even with our new revenues, if we do not restructure our debt it will take decades for us to return to the prompt payment cycle of a fiscally responsible government.
Source: Illinois 2011 State of the State Budget Address
Feb 16, 2011
Page last updated: Dec 04, 2018